James Silas of the San Antonio Spurs charges past the New York Knicks Sly Williams in their NBA match at Madison Square Garden Thursday night, February 29, 1980.

Henry Bibby of the Philadelphia 76ers falls over Mark Olberding (53) of the San Antonio Spurs as James Silas of the Spurs, right, gets off a shot during their NBA playoff game in Philadelphia, Pa., April 22, 1979. Steve Mix (50) of the 76ers is in the background. The Spurs won the game, 115-112, and now lead, 3-1, in the best of seven series. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)

James Silas (13) of the San Antonio Spurs drives around Jeff Judkins of the Boston Celtics as he heads for the basket in the second period of their game at Boston Garden in Boston, Mass., Nov. 3, 1978. (AP Photo/Paul Benoit)

Washington Bullets' Bob Dandridge (10) passes around and over San Antonio Spurs' Larry Kenon and James Silas to teammate Elvin Hayes for a two point play during the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals at Capital Centre in Landover, Md., May 18, 1979. (AP Photo/William Smith)

San Antonio Spurs guard James Silas (13) drives past guard Mike Cooper (21) of the Los Angeles Lakers on his way to the basket in the second period of their game in Los Angeles, Calif., Dec. 16, 1979. Spurs center Paul Griffin (30) is at left. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

San Antonio Spurs guard James Silas (13) comes down with the prize during the Eastern Conference game against the Washington Bullets in San Antonio, texas, May 10, 1979. At left is Bullets center Wes Unseld (41). (AP Photo)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Silas, left, tries to pass the ball after finding his path blocked by Kansas City forward Leon Douglas (13) in the first half of Wednesday night's game in Kansas City, January 13, 1982. (AP Photo)

For a job posting that Cougars athletic director Steve Carpenter said has already “attracted a lot of local attention”, one qualified candidate is from out of state. James Silas, a former ABA All-Star who is one of eight players to have his number retired by the San Antonio Spurs, is planning on moving to Colorado from Texas and applying for the gig. He’s currently house shopping in the south metro area.

“I’ve been around kids for so long, and at one time I’d been offered the opportunity to coach the first G League team the Spurs had in Austin, called the Toros,” Silas said. “I wasn’t ready then — I prefer to coach the youth and show them what I know at that age. I’m ready to do that now.”

Silas played for the Spurs for eight seasons from 1972-81, including five in the NBA after the team moved from the ABA. After his retirement, he spent time in the game at various levels — “I’ve been dipping and dabbing with the coaching for a long time” — in addition to directing the Austin Midnight Basketball Program for the past two-plus decades.

The program, which provides outreach, education and leagues for at-risk young men, showed Silas the reward of working with an up-and-coming generations of ballers.

“Coaching today isn’t just coaching — players are coached on the game, but there’s a lot of teaching that can be done through the practices and the summers,” Silas said. “There’s a lot the kids can gain if there’s somebody there willing to give it to them.”

His son, Xavier Silas, is a G League veteran who now lives in Aurora and recently founded the Cherokee Trail feeder program Give Sports — a move Carpenter noted is necessary in order to keep pace in the prep basketball landscape.

“I applaud that — we need solid feeders, because any good basketball team needs a feeder out there that’s in congruence with what the high school is doing,” Carpenter said.

“It was one of those things where we felt like we could do something special in this area, because Cherokee Trail’s kind of on an island out there in southeast Aurora,” Xavier Silas said. “And my dad already has a basketball legacy — but this is what he wants to add on.”

So could the man once widely known as “The Late Mr. Silas” — for his tendency to play his best when it mattered most at the end of games — revive a program that had its first losing season in four years this winter?

If given the chance, he’s optimistic.

“Success is about kids knowing what you want, what you expect and what they need to do,” Silas said. “Once they do that — and once they show they want to work hard to get that done — it’s not that complicated. I’m hopeful I’ll get the opportunity to instill those kind of philosophies.”

Carpenter said he expects to advance into the interview process by around early April, and that multiple committees will be involved in raking through a field of candidates that already includes a mix of local head and assistant coaches.

Kyle Newman is a sports writer for The Denver Post who covers the Colorado Rockies and other pro, college and high school athletics. Prior to that, he was executive editor of the Colorado Sports Network and The Fan Varsity Sports Network. He is a 2012 graduate of the ASU Cronkite School.